2 Taiwanese men probed over false claims on VP Hsiao's IPAC speech

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Wednesday it will refer two men to a summary court under the Taipei District Court for allegedly spreading false claims that Taiwan paid for Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's (蕭美琴) recent speech in Brussels.

Hsiao spoke at the European Parliament in Brussels on Nov. 7, while the annual Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) summit was being held there, and returned to Taiwan early Sunday.

The CIB said in a statement that it identified a 53-year-old Taiwanese man, surnamed Lu (盧), as the creator of a meme containing false information about Hsiao's speech, which the bureau was notified about on Sunday.

The image falsely claimed that Hsiao had rented the venue and sponsored the IPAC meeting using public funds.

A 41-year-old Taiwanese man, surnamed Chen (陳), allegedly shared the meme on social media and wrote "France's BBC reported Taiwan donated 8 billion euros (US$8.97 billion) in exchange for a speech," the bureau said.

Chen told reporters at Taoyuan International Airport upon returning from Japan on Wednesday that he had shared the post because he found it "funny" and considered it "satire," adding he did not think it was illegal.

The Presidential Office said Sunday it had asked law enforcement authorities to investigate the "fabricated content" circulating online.

Asked to comment on the rumors, IPAC founder and executive director Luke de Pulford told CNA on Sunday that the claim was "fake news" and "completely fabricated," adding that the invitation for Hsiao to attend the summit was "freely" extended.

Hsiao's speech marked the first time a Taiwanese vice president had visited a non-allied country and spoken at the European Parliament, according to Taiwan's foreign ministry.

The CIB said the two men may have violated the Social Order Maintenance Act, which states that "spreading rumors in a way that is sufficient to undermine public order and peace" is punishable by up to three days' detention or a fine of up to NT$30,000 (US$957).